


giving back is all i wanna do

by playthetyrants



Series: tell me with your mind, body and spirit [3]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: C-Section Birth, Changing It Up A Bit, Hospitals, I APOLOGIZE, Louis' panic attacks are mentioned again, M/M, Mpreg, Mpreg Louis, also i researched my medical info as best as i could, and Louis loves harry, bear with me, embrace the mpreg, harry loves louis so much, how did i forget to tag that, i'm sorry for the lack of smut, it'll be okay, nothing crazy, oh shit i forgot, oh yeah Ziam is alive yet again, slight angst i guess???, the summary makes it seem darker than it is, theyre so in love with each other, this has a happy ending i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 09:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6604921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playthetyrants/pseuds/playthetyrants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>as per his promise to his husband, louis is carrying his and harry's third child. things are going well until suddenly they're not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	giving back is all i wanna do

**Author's Note:**

> okay here it is, the final part to my series! i know it was written really quickly but i live in Houston and if you haven't heard, the entire city is underwater due to flooding. my college classes have been cancelled the past 2 days, so naturally instead of doing homework i worked on this.   
> i hope you all enjoy it; i know i loved writing it. :)

Waking up in bed next to a sleepy, cuddly Harry Styles was something Louis absolutely never wanted to let go of. It was something he had been doing for years now, a habit that provided him with a sense of safety that he really couldn’t find anywhere else. He felt at home every time he woke up wrapped in Harry’s huge arms, felt at peace when he was woken up by the soft sound of his snores and hot breath against his ear or neck. 

Now, being woken up with slow, gentle kisses along his inner thighs was something else entirely. 

Louis jumped awake almost immediately, flinching and feeling his foot knock against the side of his husband’s body, gasping in shock at the surprising touch of his mouth against his skin. 

“Harry! Jesus Christ almighty…” he breathed, blinking rapidly as he lifted his head up off the pillow. Harry merely hummed in response, the action tickling Louis’ legs and he nearly shrieked as he switched thighs, lazily dragging his lips down towards his knee. 

“Morning, Lou…” Louis could hear the smirk in his voice and really, he would’ve reached out and smacked him on the side of his stupid curly head if not for the sheer effort it would take to sit up and somehow find a way to bend over his large, protruding belly. Instead, he flopped his head back down against his pillow in defeat, letting out another shaky breath as Harry’s lips moved their way back up his thigh, finally coming to rest on the left side of his tummy. He planted a small kiss there before sitting up quickly and grinning happily down at him, brushing his curls out of his eyes. “How’s my favorite pregnant husband doing this lovely morning?” Louis scoffed loudly, reaching up and rubbing his eyes, yawning as he felt Harry move to lay down beside him once more. 

“I’m fine...I was having a rather nice dream until you rudely awakened me,” he snapped playfully, causing a giggle to erupt from Harry as he turned to face him. 

“Mmm…” He reached out and gently moved Louis’ messy fringe from his eyes, tucking a piece behind his ear, smiling rather bashfully at him as he did. “I’m sorry…” he murmured, dropping his hand and pulling it back towards him, propping his head up against his palm. “You look so damn beautiful when you sleep...and with that bump, I really couldn’t handle myself.” 

Louis’ cheeks were heating up before he could even finish his statement, unable to stop the fond smile that had crept upon his lips. Honestly, how could you stay mad at someone when they were just this goddamn cute? He squirmed a little in the bed, instinctively tugging down his shirt over his bump before rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah, well...you should really learn how to, I like my sleep…” His attempt at a somewhat stern voice was pathetic and he knew it as Harry smirked at him, reaching down with his free hand to gently pry his hands from the bottom of his shirt. 

“Don’t, Lou....you look wonderful, I promise you....way better than I did with the twins, for sure.” Louis made a face, reluctantly dropping his hands to his side. 

“Oh, I beg to differ. You looked like a fucking God, some sort of superhero. You’re the one with the birthing hips out of the two of us, it’s a given.” Now it was Harry’s turn to roll his eyes, letting out a dramatic moan. 

“Oh, sure. I was bigger than a house, Louis. You have the perfect pregnancy physique, your bump is so fitting on you and I swear you have that glow everyone talks about.” His voice was stern but still in that gentle, Harry-esque drawl that made Louis’ heart flutter constantly. He opened his mouth to protest, to whine more about how he felt absolutely huge and swollen even though he was only 6 and a half months along but then suddenly Harry’s lips were on his stomach, leaving a trail of tiny kisses along his skin as he pushed himself up to sit, hovering over Louis’ body. 

He grinned softly, tucking his shirt up so that it rested on his chest and giggled as Harry reached over and pressed down on his now protruding bellybutton, scrunching his nose up fondly. 

“I didn’t like it when it was my own, but seeing it on you is fucking adorable.” Louis nudged his side with his knee gently, pushing him to dramatically flop back onto the mattress beside him, feigning an injury. 

“Louis! I thought you loved me!” he gasped loudly, pretending to choke on something as Louis kept laughing, shaking his head quickly. 

“Stop, you ass! I’m gonna pee myself!” Harry’s mouth popped open into a wide o shape, failing miserably at hiding his childish giggles. 

“Right, I’m sorry...baby on your bladder, and all that…” He pursed his lips solemnly, his eyes shining with the sheer willpower it was apparently taking him to not start laughing. Louis scoffed again, louder this time before pushing himself to sit up and swinging his legs off the bed.

“Speaking of peeing and potential bedwetting, I’m sure Rosie and Eli have surprises for us in their bedroom.” Harry groaned loudly, burying his face into the pillow as Louis stood up, searching around for a pair of sweatpants to pull on as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with one hand. 

“I made a bet that Eli wouldn’t pee last night. I’m gonna win this bet.” Harry’s voice was muffled amongst the blankets and Louis smiled, slowly stepping into a pair of black joggers he had found on the floor. 

“Rosie is dedicated; she KNOWS where her potty is. I’ll bet she didn’t have an accident either.” Harry’s head shot up from the pillows, his eyes squinted in a sort of challenge-mode look. Louis raised an eyebrow, maintaining his calm smile as he finished pulling up his pants, cocking his head to the side. 

“Care to get dressed and go look?” Harry jumped immediately off the bed and bolted to their closet, Louis giggling loudly as he began padding his way out of the room and down the hall, listening as Harry seemed to demolish their wardrobe in order to find a shirt and pants. Louis reached the door first and closed one eye, leaning forward to peek inside. 

Rosie was lounging on her toddler bed, rolling herself back and forth as she stared at the ceiling, happily sucking on her bright pink pacifier. Louis made a face, cringing internally at her bad habit. 

“She’s got that damn thing in her mouth again…” he whispered quietly as he heard Harry approach his right side, leaning over his head to peer inside as well.   
“We’re weaning her off it, don’t worry…” he murmured, placing a hand on the doorframe as he squinted. 

 

Louis turned his head slightly to face the other side of the room, grinning even more as he saw Eli standing in his bed, bouncing happily as he gazed around their room, clapping his hands excitedly. Before Louis could even stand up straight Harry had the door wide open, smiling and walking inside, proclaiming in his every morning, sing-song voice; “Good morning, my loves!” 

Elijah shrieked happily, nearly falling off his bed in excitement as Harry smiled, looking back and forth towards the two as Louis stepped inside. 

Rosaline was all eyes for Louis, as usual. She spit out her pacifier immediately as she called for her dad, making grabby hands and squealing in delight as Louis gently picked her up, covering her face with tiny little kisses. 

“How’s my baby girl doing?” he asked, reaching up to brush a dark brown curl from her eye as he shifted her onto his hip. She smiled happily at him, tapping his cheeks with both of her palms gently before kissing the tip of his nose, just like every morning. He peered over her shoulder, scanning the bed before gasping with joy. “No accident, Rosie!” Her face lit up with the recognition of praise and she began clapping her hands happily, swinging back and forth. Louis grinned, shifting her weight slightly before turning to face his husband, who was busy having a conversation with their son. 

“That? Oh, that’s the window...that’s your bed...that’s your teddy, silly goose!” Eli giggled loudly as Harry tickled him gently, picking him up to rest on his own waist. 

Elijah was quickly learning words, almost too quickly for Louis and Harry to keep up with. He was constantly pointing to everything in his field of vision with his chubby fingers, his eyes wide with curiosity while asking “What’s that?” Louis could barely believe he was only two and a half. Rosaline, on the other hand, preferred to stay quiet, observing things from afar and staying mostly silent. It was fine, really; her brother did more than enough talking for the both of them. And although it concerned Harry a bit, Louis didn’t seem to mind. He knew she’d start talking more often soon enough, it wasn’t like she didn’t know how. 

He swept back another lock of her hair as Rosie played absentmindedly with her hands, watching herself carefully as she swung her leg back and forth along Louis’ belly, her new favorite thing to do while she was with him. Louis smiled and pressed another kiss to her temple, the two of them both looking up as Harry dramatically announced, “My son didn’t wet the bed. I can retire now, my entire life’s dream has been accomplished.” Eli giggled loudly at his voice, Rosie taking the more Louis-esque approach and smiling rather fondly in silence as Louis walked over, pressing a kiss to Eli’s cheek. 

“That’s my boy!” he cooed, Eli smiling widely with all his teeth in response. Harry grinned, leaning forward to press a kiss onto Rosie’s hair before standing up straight, eyeing them both mischievously. 

“Who wants breakfast?”

Any sort of prepared mealtime in the Tomlinson-Styles household was a bit of a mess, to say the least. Louis isn’t sure he could remember a time in the past 2 and a half years where a meal didn’t end up with something burning, or a broken plate or cup, or even without Rosaline getting a mysterious substance stuck in her long, tangled curls. Where she kept silent, she made up for with her messy eating habits. Miraculously, Louis found himself half an hour later sitting in one of their kitchen chairs, relaxed against the frame with his once allowed daily cup of coffee tight in his hands, his arms resting against his bump as the twins ate a messy meal of chocolate chip pancakes and bananas. Harry was right across from him, watching almost lazily as Eli kept jabbing his plastic fork into his meal, trying to pick it up. 

“You know chocolate chips were a bad idea this early in the morning,” Louis chastised playfully, smiling as Harry rolled his eyes and turned to face him across the table. 

“The bag slipped into my batter, what could I do?” he asked pitifully, batting his eyelashes and causing Louis to snort into his coffee. Harry smiled happily, watching as Louis set his mug down and bring them back to rest on top of his belly, running his hands down along the sides gently. 

“Every time you make me laugh, he starts moving. It’s been constant this morning, it’s like he can’t wait to hear your shitty jokes and bad puns.” Harry gasped dramatically once more, covering his mouth. 

“Eli’s gonna start repeating everything you say soon, do you really want him saying that?” Louis smiled and shook his head, chuckling softly. 

“Nah, probably not...I’d imagine Niall would get a kick out of it, though.” Harry cackled loudly, covering his mouth as the twins erupted into fits of giggles at the sudden noise, causing Louis to giggle again, shaking his head quickly. “I swear to God, I’m about to pee.” He shifted his body out of the chair and let his feet hit the ground, standing up straight as Harry eyed him carefully. 

“You’d better take care of that, Mr. Pee Pants.” Louis sighed playfully, smiling as Rosie and Eli kept giggling loudly, their pancakes all but forgotten in the midst of their father’s terrible humor. 

“I’ll get right on that,” he replied, sneaking a middle finger in his husband’s direction before giggling and making his way towards the bathroom as Harry’s offended “HEY!” echoed down the hallway behind him. 

He pushed open the door, suddenly well aware of how much he actually did have to pee. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, yawning and scratched his chin absentmindedly, running through a list of things that needed to get done today. 

As he flushed the toilet and made his way back to the bathroom sink he frowned, stopping in the middle of the room, the tile cold against his bare feet. Backaches were not something new to Louis, especially with being his small size. They were usually always there when we woke up nowadays, nothing too serious and they always disappeared after he was up and walking for awhile. 

But for some reason, this morning, the pain seemed to be staying put. He carefully twisted his body around, bending slightly left and slightly right, but to no avail. Blinking in confusion, he slowly walked back to the sink, turning it on and scrubbing his hands silently, chewing on his lip. 

It was probably nothing, Harry had had backaches for months beforehand. 

He reached behind him and rubbed at his lower back for a moment, trying not to grow concerned as the pain remained. He heard the sound of running water in the kitchen, signaling the end of breakfast time and decided to put it behind him, walking back down the hallway and plastering a big smile on his face. It’d end soon enough. 

Except, well, it didn’t. 

After a quick face clean up in the kitchen, Harry lugged both Rosie and Eli back up the stairs to their bedroom to change, Louis following behind, a bit slower than usual but it wasn’t like Harry noticed anything. Louis sighed softly, nibbling on his lip as he reached the top, listening as the twins laughed happily in their bedroom with Harry. Maybe he needed a bath, or a massage, something to end this stupid aching so he could get on with his day. He stepped into the bedroom as Rosie ran up to him, holding out a particularly sparkly purple dress, complete with a tutu out towards him. 

“Daddy, Daddy!” she begged almost dramatically, and Louis had to smile at that. So much like Harry. He took the clothes from her and followed as she ran towards her bed, hopping on it and holding her arms above her head instinctively, knowing the drill they followed every morning. 

Louis pulled her chocolate and syrup stained nightgown over her head and gently helped her into her dress, grinning as she twirled in it happily. 

“Shoes!” she suddenly proclaimed in excitement, hopping off the bed and running towards her closet. Louis took a step forward, fully intent on following his daughter before an awful, sharp pain in his back caused him to freeze in place, gasping loudly in pain and seizing the wooden edge of Rosie’s dresser beside him, his other arm wrapped instinctively around his belly. 

Eli stopped talking completely, blinking confusedly at his dad as Harry stood up slowly, still holding one of his shoes in his hand. 

“Louis?” he asked hesitantly, turning to face him as Rosie walked from her closet, clutching a pair of sequined sandals to her chest, looking just as lost as her brother. 

Louis blinked rapidly, taking a deep breath before slowly straightening himself up. It had disappeared just as quick as it had come, leaving him in some sort of shell shocked mode. He looked carefully towards Harry, smiling faintly. 

“Sorry, I just...backache, you know...turned the wrong way, I guess…” Harry didn’t look convinced at all, lifting Eli off the bed and setting him on the floor before walking over.   
“Backache, huh?” he mused, his hand gravitating towards his lower back and massaging it gently, still staring at him with his concerned green eyes. 

Louis shifted uncomfortably at his touch, still feeling the aftershocks of whatever the hell that had been in his back before he pulled away, making a beeline for his daughter. “Those shoes look wonderful, darling…” 

He successfully ignored Harry’s watchful eyes on his back for the next hour or so, even focusing on the TV and attempting to understand what was so appealing about this show to his kids, when in reality it was a jumbled mess of animals and songs. His back was still hurting, probably getting worse with each passing moment but he remained silent, lounging on the couch as Rosie and Eli laid on the floor, mindlessly watching their show as Harry stared him down from the other side of the couch. 

He absentmindedly began rubbing his belly, relaxing as Harry finally decided to turn his gaze away from him. Louis zoned out the TV, running his fingers along his skin as he felt around for any movement and, sure enough, there was a tiny little bump against his fingertip. He smiled a bit, trying to ignore the fact that the movement had been dying down rapidly since breakfast, but he figured it was because today was sort of a lazy day. Louis wasn’t moving much, therefore he wasn’t going to move either. 

He moved his hand back to rest on the top of his tummy, focusing back in on the show in front of him when suddenly a new sort of pain consumed him. It was different this time, a horrible tightening feeling that stretched across his abdomen and made him whimper in pain. 

Harry’s head shot up immediately, crawling over quickly as Louis dug the fingernails of his free hand into the couch cushion below him, holding his breath. Rosie and Eli remained unbothered, focused in on the TV as Rosie sucked loudly on her pacifier and Eli swung his feet around back and forth lazily. 

“Louis…” Harry’s voice was low and full of concern now, reaching out to grab gently onto his shoulder. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” 

Louis’ head was spinning now, and he felt close to vomiting. The awful pain was finally starting to subside, and he gritted his teeth in response to Harry’s question as his eyes remained squeezed shut. Jesus Christ, what the hell was going on? 

A few seconds later it finally vanished, leaving a dull ache all across his belly along with the deep pain in his back. He let out a long, shaky breath, slowly opening his eyes to meet Harry’s very worried ones. Tentatively, he lifted his hand from his tummy and let go of the cushion with his other one, swallowing thickly as he shook his head in pure confusion. 

“I...I don’t know…” he admitted slowly, biting his lip as Harry frowned even more, settling down against the pillows behind him. 

“Okay, well…” He sat for a moment, scanning Louis’ face while rubbing small circles against his skin with his thumb. “What did it feel like?” Louis blinked, thinking quietly to himself. 

Well, it felt like death, really. He swallowed again, breaking eye contact with his husband. 

“It was like, ah...it was a pain all over my stomach, I guess?” He could see Harry visibly stiffen at his side, causing his heart rate to suddenly increase in speed. He kept talking, staring fixedly at a stain on one of their couch cushions. “The one in the bedroom...that was like, a sharp pain in my back…” 

Harry was visibly distressed now, dropping his hand from Louis’ shoulder and staring intently at the side of his face. 

“Was it, like…” He fell silent, struggling to find words, his brow furrowing in thought. “Did it feel like it was...tightening? Or seizing up?” Louis blinked slowly, lifting his head back up to meet his eyes once more before nodding. 

Harry’s face faltered, seeming to go a bit pale before he reached out his large hand, placing it to rest gently on top of Louis’ belly. “Now...they could be fake, which they probably are, but…” He pressed his lips together, staring intently at Louis’ abdomen, his foot bouncing nervously on the floor. “If I can feel it...that means it’s a real contraction.” 

Now it was Louis’ turn to freeze up, his eyes widening in shock. “What...no, Harry, I….it can’t be, I’m only...I’m only 26 weeks along…” The panic was obviously heard in his voice as Harry soothingly shushed him, nodding. 

“I know, darling, I do. But these things happen sometimes, and you’re smaller than I was...it’s nothing bad, it just happens…” Louis felt like crying all of a sudden, staring blankly at Harry’s hand on his stomach as he considered his words. 

This couldn’t happen...they had to be fake. Louis was strong enough to carry their baby, their second son for God’s sake. This baby wasn’t going to come early, it just wasn’t fair. His brother and sister were fucking overdue by a week, and the sheer fact that his son, that his and Harry’s son could be born unhealthy or underdeveloped was enough to send Louis into hysterics, which probably would’ve happened had he not been suddenly overcome with another awful pain. 

He grabbed instinctively onto Harry’s arm, trying his hardest not to dig his nails into his skin as he stiffened up once more, holding his breath and squeezing his eyes shut. Harry’s hand remained motionless on his belly, his other one rubbing up and down Louis’ arm soothingly. The TV droned on quietly in the background, giving Louis something to focus on as he rode out the pain in what seemed like an agonizingly long time. 

Finally, it came to cease yet again, and Louis all but fell back into the pillows, letting out a long breath in exasperation. He opened his eyes slowly, his vision blurry for a couple seconds before lifting his head, staring directly into Harry’s white, panicked face. They said nothing for a moment, Harry’s hand still in its same spot before Louis let out a pitiful whimper, his face crumbling automatically. 

Harry was standing up in a matter of seconds, dropping his hand and scanning the room quickly for his phone. “I’m calling Liam and Zayn to babysit, I’m taking you to the hospital now…” He hurried back into the kitchen, Louis staying completely mute before he came back with a bottle of water, holding it out to him with his phone now pressed against his cheek. “Drink this babe, it’ll help a bit…” He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his temple before leaving the living room completely as Louis nervously fidgeted with the cap. 

Nothing was making sense to him. He had done everything right; taken his vitamins, gone to every single doctor’s appointment thus far, had been eating as healthy as he could be and now suddenly...this. He carefully unscrewed the cap from his bottle, lifting it shakily to his lips before taking a short sip, his stomach churning with fear. He didn’t even notice Rosie and Eli get up from their spots on the floor until he felt them climb on top of the couch. Rosaline inched her way up Louis’ thigh, coming to rest directly on his side, her head on his chest and one leg wrapped around his belly, the other behind on his back. It was her new favorite spot to lay on her dad and Louis remained silent, praying to God his stomach wouldn’t seize up again. Elijah curled up against the armrest and beneath his armpit, leaning against his ribcage, the two of them still watching the TV with fascination. Louis sighed heavily, abandoning his water in his lap as he reached up, stroking both of their heads with his hands, restraining the urge to cry. 

Harry came back a few minutes later, setting his phone down on the glass tabletop of in front of their couch before bending down and scooping the twins up gently. “Do you guys want to see your uncles?” Their faces brightened immediately, Rosie spitting out her pacifier once more against Harry’s arm as they squealed in delight. Harry smiled softly and eyed Louis carefully. “I’m gonna pack us a bag and take them with me...don’t move, and finish your water, okay?” Louis gave a feeble nod, avoiding his eyes as Harry made his way upstairs, talking quietly to the twins as he went. 

The pain in his back was still there, and he shifted around a bit slightly to try and ease it, but to no avail. His anxiety escalated as he began running his hands down the sides of his belly, swallowing thickly as he awaited any sign of movement. Finally, he felt a tiny kick against the left side of his belly, breathing in relief before relaxing back down. He reached for his water again, finishing about half the bottle before he heard a loud doorbell ring down the hall. He quickly set his bottle down and pushed his palms down against the cushions, slowly but surely pushing himself up to stand. 

Harry’s loud footsteps down the stairs were growing closer and suddenly he appeared in the doorway, raising his eyebrows. 

“I told you not to move,” he stated in annoyance, setting the twins back down on the floor as well as their small red duffel bag. Louis rolled his eyes in frustration, taking a step forward. 

“I can walk fine, Harry,” he snapped, tucking his arm beneath his belly before Harry shot him another look, eyeing him sharply. 

“Louis, sit back down. I’m not kidding.” He stared him down for a few more seconds, his voice low and dangerous sounding before Louis reluctantly sat back down, Rosie and Eli already barrelling down the hallway and pointing excitedly towards the door. Harry turned his shoulder and walked out to follow them, Louis all but seething in his spot on the couch. He crossed his arms across his chest, watching silently as he saw the light from outside spill into the hallway as the door opened, heard the loud and excited giggles of the twins and Liam’s equally loud, happy voice greeting them. He heard the door shut, watching amusedly as Liam came walking down the hallway with both twins on his hips, swinging them back and forth as he crossed the living room and tossed them playfully on the couch, the two of them shrieking in delight at their uncle. Zayn came next, talking with Harry quietly as they did while little Amira looked around in quiet fascination. 

Amira was something else; Louis knew that his daughter was beautiful but Zayn and Liam’s daughter looked something straight out of a magazine. She had shiny dark black hair that was always pulled back with pink bows or pins, courtesy of Liam Payne. Her skin was a light tan color and she definitely had Zayn’s face, but Liam’s big brown eyes and huge smile. Louis watched with a soft smile on his face as Harry reached out for her, claiming that he needed to give his niece a big kiss and she grinned happily as Zayn handed her over, gripping his face immediately. He began covering her face with little kisses as Zayn turned to face Louis, a small frown upon his lips. 

Louis sighed a bit, watching as Zayn crossed behind the couch and came around to sit down beside him, staring at him carefully. 

“How are you doing?” What a stupid question, Louis thought bitterly as he began messing with his fingernails in his lap. He shrugged after a moment, refusing to meet his friend’s eyes. 

“Just peachy…” he mused quietly, listening to the loud laughter happening beside him on the opposing couch. Zayn chewed on his lip, falling silent for a moment before reaching out and grabbing a hold on his knee, squeezing it softly. 

“They can stop the labor from happening, Louis...they’ve got all sorts of things they can do, you know this…” Louis kept quiet, still staring at his fingers. Sure, he knew that. 

“That didn’t help much when Amira decided to come 3 weeks early, now did it Zayn?” He looked up as he spoke calmly, Zayn’s face a sort of mixture between uneasiness and guilt. 

“Well...she was already coming. She was ready to...they didn’t really need to stop it…” Louis rolled his eyes, shaking his head before rubbing his eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. 

“37 weeks compared to 26. Do the math, Z.” Zayn kept staring him down, unaffected by Louis’ sudden angry voice. He removed his hand from his knee, tilting his head to the side.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Louis met his eyes for a split second, pursing his lips before Harry came back over, gently handing Zayn his daughter back. 

“Alright, Louis and I are gonna go get dressed and ready to go…” He turned to face Louis, holding his hand out. It was childish and he knew it, but Louis avoided his eyes and grabbed ahold of his hand, lifting himself up and sighing in annoyance as Harry’s hand found his back, helping him walk down the hallway. Liam eyed them both, shooting Louis a soft smile and opting out of talking completely, which was probably a good thing. Louis was being a dick and he really didn’t care. Today really just wasn’t his day. 

Harry led him to the foot of the stairs, his hand still on his back, and began walking him up. Louis really didn’t mean to, but all of a sudden he just wanted his husband away from him. He wasn’t fucking helpless. He reached around and slapped his hand out of the way, dropping his hand before starting his own trek up the stairs by himself. He heard Harry sigh behind him but Louis was stubborn, kept a grip on the railing beside him as he waddled his way up the steps, finally reaching the top. He bit his lip in attempt to distract himself from the throbbing pain in his back, Harry merely walking past him and not noticing. Louis followed suit, slowly making his way to sit on the edge of the bed. 

An awkward silence filled the air as Harry eyed him for a moment, scanning him up and down before walking into their closet, pulling his shirt off his head in order to change. Louis stared fixedly at the ground, his chest suddenly feeling tight and swallowed thickly, feeling like he was about to cry. 

Not now, Louis prompted himself, running his palms slowly along his thighs as he listened to Harry push around clothing hangers and open drawers. You will not cry now, you can’t. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, looking up to see Harry’s head peering from around the corner, holding up a pair of joggers. 

“Your favorite is the grey pair, right?” His voice was soft, looking at him with such intense concern that Louis nearly sobbed out loud. He blinked rapidly for a moment, nodding quickly and taking a breath. 

“Yeah…” He really didn’t mean for his voice to crack, but of course it did. Harry stared at him for a moment, a stray curl hanging in front of one of his eyes before he stepped out from behind the doorframe, carefully folding up the pants in his hands. Louis took another shaky breath, immediately avoiding his eyes and staring intently down in his lap, or what he could see that wasn’t being obscured by his belly. He closed his eyes as Harry came closer, feeling a hot, wet tear drip from his cheek and onto his shirt, sniffling as Harry knelt down in front of him, gently grabbing both of his hands in his own. 

“Louis, please...look at me, darling…” And then suddenly Louis felt extremely guilty, extremely sorry not for just ignoring his wonderful, adoring husband but for getting them into this entire mess of a situation in the first place. He shook his head slowly, trying and failing to choke back a sob before Harry pulled him down to level with him on the floor, wrapping his massive arms around Louis’ body and cradling him to his chest, rubbing his back gently. 

Louis couldn’t take it anymore, all his anger and frustration came pouring out in a sudden outburst of tears, burying his face into Harry’s newly changed shirt. Harry kept silent, resting his cheek on top of Louis’ hair and kept him close as Louis instinctively wrapped his arms around his tummy. 

“You are going to be okay, Louis...both of you are,” he murmured, keeping one arm wrapped around his back and sliding the other around to rest his hand on top of one of Louis’ own. “I promise you…”

How did he know that, really? Here Louis was, going into VERY early labor and at the rate it was happening, it didn’t seem like it’d slow down anytime soon, even with a doctor’s help. Louis merely whimpered in response, attempting to take a few steadying breaths with his face still buried into the soft material of his husband’s shirt, inhaling his scent as he did. Harry pulled his head up, looking down and reaching over to tilt his chin up to face him. Louis sniffled sadly, watching him with watery eyes and probably a snotty nose as Harry gently ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Everything is going to be alright…” He reached down, running his thumb along the bottom of Louis’ eyes gently as he spoke. “We’re going to go to the hospital and take this one step at a time, together, and everything’s just gonna work out.” he concluded, dropping his hand back down as Louis sniffled once more. 

He heard the sound of the front door open downstairs once more, along with Niall’s loud voice and more squeals from the kids and was going to question Harry as to why he had called Niall as well when suddenly another contraction came out of nowhere, a loud cry of pain escaping his lips as he buried his face back into Harry’s chest. 

He blindly reached out and grabbed ahold of his husband’s arms quickly, digging his fingernails into whatever flesh he could find as Harry began rubbing his back once more, quietly shushing him. 

“Louis, listen to me, just focus on my voice, you’re going to be okay…” Louis’ head was spinning from the pain, choking back violent sobs as the pain got even worse, his toes curling up in anguish against the hardwood floor beneath them. Harry kept a firm grip around him, still murmuring into his ear. “Breathe with me, baby, come on...you need to breathe…” Louis swallowed thickly, listening for a moment before mimicking his breathing, Harry nodding encouragingly. 

“That’s it, baby, good job…” Louis squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing beginning to falter as the pain finally subsided, his chin falling to hit against his chest as he dropped his head in exhaustion. His face was hot, his neck sweaty, and the afterpain was getting worse and worse. Harry pressed a kiss to his forehead, reaching up to gently stroke his cheek with his thumb. 

“I’m right here, don’t you worry...I’m gonna be with you through it all, I promise…” Louis managed a weak nod in response, his eyes still closed as Harry slowly got up, scooping him off the floor and into his arms. 

Louis barely recognized what was happening, letting his head flop listlessly against his chest as Harry sat him back down on the bed, kneeling down and getting him undressed. He shivered slightly at the cold air, remaining silent as Harry reached for the grey sweatpants, pulling them on him slowly. 

“What shirt do you want, babe?” he asked quietly, gently pulling the waistband over his belly as Louis opened his eyes slowly, blinking. 

“Your Green Bay Packers jumper...the dark green one that you got forever ago…” Harry smiled softly and nodded, standing up again. 

“I know that one…” He lifted Louis’ arms up slowly, pulling off his previous shirt over his head and tossing it to the side along with his old pants before crossing back to their closet, reappearing after a few seconds with it. Louis managed a weak grin, lifting his arms up and allowing Harry to pull it over his head. 

“Thank you…” he mumbled, reaching up and rolling the sleeves up a bit as Harry sat down on the floor, quickly pulling on a pair of socks on Louis’ feet. 

“Not a problem, love…” He looked up and flashed a toothy grin and Louis smiled even more, watching as Harry stood back up. “I already called Maya, she’s on her way to check on you…” He fell silent as Louis struggled to slip on his shoes, restraining a giggle before leaning back down and putting them on for him. Louis felt his cheeks heat up a bit, biting his lip before mumbling another thank you. 

Harry grinned and winked at him, straightening up and sliding an arm around his waist, lifting him up slowly. Louis groaned softly, wincing at the pain in his back before wrapping an arm around Harry’s waist tightly. Harry flashed him a look of concern, frowning a bit before leading them both forward, turning off the light before he shut the door. 

Louis could hear Niall’s loud laughter and Elijah’s giggles of joy from the top of the stairs, smiling to himself as he was led downstairs slowly. He glanced into the living room as they got closer, witnessing Niall laying on the floor with Eli on his chest, playfully getting pummeled with his tiny fists and pretending to be hurt with a loud gasp at each once. Liam was on the floor as well, leaned up against the couch with Amira in his lap, the two of them reading a large book that was propped up on his knees. Zayn was lounging on the couch with Rosaline, holding her in his lap as he braided her long, curly hair patiently, Rosie playing absentmindedly with a pile of toys in front of her feet. Louis looked up as Harry dropped his arm from his waist, stepping inside. 

“Alright, we’re leaving...you know what to do, call me if something happens…” Louis watched as all of them looked up at once, Niall waving him off with his hand. 

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry. And so will you, Louis!” he added, reaching back down to tickle Elijah and creating a new outburst of giggles. Liam nodded in agreement from the floor, smiling at them. 

“Take all the time you need, we’ll be here when you get back…” Amira blinked up at Harry and Louis, raising her hand in a feeble wave before looking back down at her book, chewing on her fingers. Louis smiled a bit, turning to face Zayn. He watched as Zayn turned his head slightly, flashing him a small smile. 

“It’s gonna be fine, Lou. Don’t worry.” He turned back down to Rosie’s hair, gently moving the pieces around as Harry kneeled down and picked back up their duffel bag, turning to face Louis once more. 

“See? Nothing to worry about.” He pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head before snaking an arm back around his waist, turning them to walk down the hallway towards the front door. Louis nodded slowly, taking a deep breath before tilting his head up towards him. 

“Thank you, Harry…” He rested his cheek down against his husband’s shoulder as they walked to the car, watching him open the door and help him inside. Harry merely smiled at him, reaching around to buckle him in. 

“Come on, it’s my job. What kind of husband would I be if I wasn’t assuring you every 5 seconds?” Louis giggled softly, watching as Harry pulled the strap over his bump before tossing their bag in the back and closing the door, walking to the other side. Louis squinted faintly out the front window, the sun shining brightly on him and he quickly pulled down his visor, Harry getting in beside him and shutting the door. 

“Did you bring your stupid Willy Wonka glasses again?” Louis asked, another giggle escaping his lips as Harry gasped in mock horror. 

“Those are Saint Laurent ones, you heathen!” he barked, reaching down into the console and whipping them out. “You can use your stupid visor while I drive in style.” 

Louis snorted loudly, shaking his head as Harry slid them on before pulling out of the driveway, getting them on the road quickly. 

“My visor doesn’t make me look like a weirded out version of Johnny Depp...well, weirder than he already is, anyway,” he added, running one of his fingertips lazily along the top of his bump as he stared out the window, Harry grumbling in response. 

“Johnny Depp is my hero, my Lord and Savior.” Louis laughed loudly, raising his eyebrows and turning back to face Harry. 

“Isn’t that a bit sacrilegious, basically calling him God?” He laughed even harder as Harry gave a small shrug. 

“Eh, probably. But you gotta admit, he IS pretty dreamy.” 

Louis was very thankful for their relaxed, funny and relatively short car drive, because it was one of the only good things that was going to come from the next few hours. 

Louis found himself sitting on the bed of an exam room some time later, trying to ignore the fact that he hadn’t felt his son kick since the car ride there. Harry was in a chair beside him, busily texting away, probably talking to his mum or sister. Louis felt a pang of guilt; he just didn’t want his mum to worry, hence why he had refrained from telling her anything. Besides, if Harry was telling Anne or Gemma anything he’s sure that they’d tell Johannah, although it would be a bit awkward, considering that Louis had decided to stay mute.

He looked up as Harry slipped his phone back into his pocket and ran his fingers through his hair, looking around a bit. “Who were you texting?” Louis asked quietly, fiddling with the bottom part of the Green Bay jumper he was wearing as Harry rolled his eyes. 

“Niall couldn’t find the fucking peanut butter, so of course instead of asking Liam or Zayn for help he texted me.” Louis grinned, shaking his head a bit. 

“Typical Niall…” he murmured, looking back down at his hands. Harry motioned to say something else before the door was opened and the couple looked up, meeting Maya’s smiling face with relieved sighs. 

“Hello, you two…” she greeted fondly, giving Harry a hug first before walking to Louis and wrapping him up in one. 

“Hey, Maya…” He immediately felt more relaxed, hugging her back tightly before letting go. Her presence in the room was calming, watching as she stepped back and walked to his side while an ultrasound technician began wheeling her machine into the room. 

“It’s so good to see you two...although circumstances could be a bit different,” she added, pulling her stethoscope off from around her neck and hiking up his sweater in the back, pressing the cold metal to it. “So tell me what’s been going on his morning…” 

Louis chewed on his lip for a moment, staring at his feet hovering above the tile floor. “Well...this morning when I woke up, I had a backache, which is pretty normal nowadays…” He winced as Maya moved the stethoscope around in a different spot before continuing. “Well, it usually goes away once I get up and move, but today it didn’t. And then, these like...really sharp pains started happening…” Harry watched him silently as he spoke, frowning a bit as he kept talking. Maya pulled his shirt back down, putting her stethoscope back around her neck before grabbing the black armband on the counter beside her, pulling apart the Velcro and nodding. 

“Alright, then what happened?” She lifted Louis’ arm up gently before wrapping the band around his upper arm tightly, Louis sighing a bit. 

“Well...I thought I was having Braxton Hicks contractions...then Harry felt for them and...well, they were the real deal…” He looked up a bit, meeting her eyes. “They’re getting more frequent and hurting more and more…” 

Maya remained silent, seeming like she was only half listening as she stared fixedly at a machine in front of her, frowning slightly. Louis blinked slowly, his mouth falling shut as Harry stood up immediately in his chair, walking over. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” His voice was deep and low, instinctively grabbing hold onto one of Louis’ hands as Maya pursed her lips, pulling the armband off a little too quickly. 

“Your blood pressure is really high, Louis…” Louis blinked again, watching confusedly as she set everything down. 

“I don’t...I’ve never...that’s never happened to me before,” he stuttered, Harry’s grip on his hand tightening suddenly. 

“He’s perfectly healthy, he’s had no issues…” Louis swallowed nervously, bouncing his foot against the bed as Maya bent over the ultrasound tech, watching her get set up. 

“Have you been having headaches? Your feet really swollen, more than usual?” Harry immediately turned his head downward towards Louis’ feet, frowning as Louis struggled to find words once more. 

“I mean...yeah, I get headaches a lot, but...that’s normal, right?” His voice cracked a bit near the end and Maya merely hummed in response, tapping her index finger against her lips as Harry looked back up, meeting Louis’ eyes.

“Your feet were a bit more swollen than usual when I put your socks and shoes on earlier…” Louis’ mind was running a mile a minute, struggling to comprehend his doctor’s words. What was she insinuating, exactly? What was wrong with him? 

Before he could ask anything Maya had him laying down on the bed, yanking his shirt up to his chest and was squeezing an excessive amount of cold, clear ultrasound jelly onto his abdomen. Harry watched in confusion for a moment, looking just as distressed as Louis before grabbing ahold of his hand once more, running his thumb along his knuckles soothingly. 

The ultrasound tech looked somber, pressing the remote against his skin as a blurry image came onto the screen. Maya stared at it intently, her arms folded across her chest as she swayed slightly, her brow still furrowed in thought. 

“You’re 26 weeks along, right Louis?” He nodded almost robotically, staring as a tiny image of his son’s face appeared onscreen. She didn’t acknowledge his response, but simply stopped moving, dropping her hands suddenly. “Press the remote closer, give me a heartbeat.” The nurse nodded before applying more pressure, pressing it against Louis’ skin rather uncomfortably. Louis ignored it, wondering idly if the sweat between his and Harry’s hands was his own or his husbands. 

For a moment, a dull silence filled the room. Then suddenly, a soft, very slow rhythmic pounding began to sound, and Louis swore he could feel all the color drain from his face. 

“That’s...that’s not his…” Harry looked horrified, unable to move as Maya quickly turned, ordering the nurse to stop. 

“Yes Louis, that’s his heartbeat.” His stomach churned, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit everywhere as the technician began hurriedly cleaning up, wiping the gel from Louis’ abdomen with a quick swipe of a towel. Harry was stuttering now, trying to piece everything together on his own. 

“What does...why is...what’s going on?” The panic in Harry’s voice was very poorly hidden and Louis wanted nothing more than to just disappear because the air in the room was suddenly stifling and he was starting to feel nauseous, hot tears beginning to sting his eyes. 

Maya walked around and stood in front of the couple, watching them sympathetically. “You need to listen to me right now, okay?” Louis nodded quickly, Harry following suit and falling silent. She bit her lip for a moment, eyeing them before launching into an explanation. 

“Louis, you’re preeclamptic. Very preeclamptic, might I add. We should’ve been able to detect it earlier but your blood pressure just rose out of nowhere, so we really had no clue. Now, this preeclampsia condition not only affects your well being but the baby’s as well. He’s not been getting enough nutrients and therefore is growing very slowly, so slow that he’s getting very weak. I can assume he’s not been moving as much lately?” She eyed Louis for a moment, taking his silence as a yes before continuing. 

“I know this isn’t ideal, and that this is scary and terrifying but if we wait any longer, he’s gonna start fading away quickly and Louis, you could start seizing and we could lose the both of you at once.” Louis stared at her blankly, his mouth hanging open in shock as Harry shook his head in confusion, his eyes squeezed shut. 

“Wait...wait any longer? What do you mean? What are we not waiting for anymore?” The ultrasound tech was pushing her machine out the door quickly, Maya sighing at the both of them sadly. 

“He’s coming out today...I need to do a C-section.” Now it was Harry’s turn to stare at her, blinking slowly as Louis started shaking his head, his hand flying up to his mouth. 

“I’m gonna throw up, oh God…” He leaned over the bed just as Harry yanked over a trash can, holding it up to his mouth as he started gagging, puking up his entire breakfast from this morning in one swift motion. Maya winced, falling silent as Harry rubbed his back, Louis lifting his head up slowly. 

She couldn’t be real. None of this...this entire situation wasn’t real. At 26 weeks...babies were, what, 2 pounds, maybe? There’s no way a baby being born this early was able to survive. Louis coughed weakly into the trash can, closing his eyes as Maya hurriedly began hooking him to an IV. 

“I’m gonna give you the medicine now, to numb the lower part of your body so that you can stay awake and I promise you that Harry will be allowed in, he’s gonna be right there the entire time…” Louis’ head was pounding, still struggling to comprehend her words as Harry wiped his mouth off with a stray towel. He gasped loudly in pain as he felt the needle go into his back, barely having time to prepare himself before she stepped away, laying him down. 

“Nurses will be coming to finish prepping you, and I’ll get scrubs for Harry.” She stopped midway to the door, sighing softly and flashing them a miserable look. “I know, this is bad timing. And it’s scary. But I’m gonna do everything I can to fix this, I swear.” She turned back towards the door swiftly and walked out, the door quietly closing shut behind her. 

The room was dead silent, Harry turning back towards him after a minute, his voice shaky. “Are you gonna throw up some more?” he asked slowly, still clutching the can in his hand. 

Louis felt numb, like his entire body was in shock and his mind was slowly shutting down, but not from the drugs. He didn’t respond, still staring blankly at the spot where Maya had been. He suddenly became aware of the placement of his hands, resting protectively on either side of his belly. He glanced down briefly, his eyes suddenly filling with tears and his breathing speeding up immediately, short shallow breaths that stung his lungs as he began gasping. 

Harry abandoned the trash can back onto the floor, immediately grabbing onto his hands once more, staring at him intently. 

“No no no, Louis, you can’t have a panic attack right now, you can’t….you haven’t had one in so long, you were doing so good, please…” He was begging now, his voice high and pleading and he suddenly reached up, pulling his face sideways to look him in the eye, his own eyes shiny with tears. 

“Louis, breathe, please. Your blood pressure is already high enough, you can’t make yourself sicker like this...just take a deep breath, listen to my voice…” Louis felt nauseous again, although he knew there was nothing else left to throw up in his system. He kept gasping loudly, struggling to match Harry’s breathing, staring at him with hot tears rolling down his cheeks. He tightened his grip on his hands, his chest finally beginning to slow down in motion, Harry nodding quickly. 

“There you go, just breathe...it’s okay, I’m right here…” He kept breathing along with Louis, sighing in relief as he finally calmed back down. Louis blinked rapidly at him, feeling more and more tears begin to fall before he couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Our son is going to die!” Harry’s head shot up immediately, frowning at him and shaking his head quickly. 

“Louis, don’t. Don’t you say that. I mean it.” He sounded angry, genuinely pissed off and Louis groaned in frustration, bringing his hands up to his face, rubbing his eyes intensely. He wanted to scream at Harry, to tell him that he felt like absolute shit because HE was the reason their baby was dying, HE was the reason all of this was happening and for some reason he just felt like taking it all out on his husband, which wasn’t fair at all. Harry hadn’t done anything wrong; this was all on Louis. 

The door opened again and suddenly Maya was back, holding a pair of scrubs in her hand and armed with what seemed like an entire surgical team behind her. She handed Harry the clothes quickly, instructing him to go change down the hall before Louis was suddenly swarmed with doctors, cutting Harry from his field of vision altogether. 

“Harry?!” he squeaked loudly, trying to sit up before Maya came over, pushing him back down gently. 

“He’ll be right back, I promise…” She quickly helped the rest of the team change Louis into a large gown before leaning against the bed beside him, gently moving her hands around his abdomen as Louis stared at the ceiling above him, struggling to maintain his breathing once more. He heard Maya mumble something to a doctor before she dropped her hands completely, leaning down a bit so that she was right above Louis’ face. 

“You have the best team of doctors in the region, and the best NICU for your son. I know things happened way too fast and you’re terrified. But please trust me when I say this is the best thing we can do.” She reached up, gently moving his hair back from his forehead before slipping a blue cap over his head, pulling it down to his neck. Louis managed a weak nod, closing his eyes before taking a steadying breath. The bottom half of his body was starting to go numb, the ache in his back suddenly disappearing and he relaxed against the bed as the doctors finished up, hearing them all back away from the bed. 

Maya leaned down and kissed his cheek softly. “I’ll see you in the OR.” He opened his eyes just in time to see her disappear and to see Harry arrive once more. 

He’s not sure if it was the hysteria and pure terror he was feeling or the sheer sight of seeing Harry’s hair all pulled up into a cap but Louis couldn’t stop the loud giggle that escaped his mouth, biting his lips to stop it as his husband approached. 

Harry grinned sheepishly, scrunching up his nose in distaste. “They made me do this…” he muttered, Louis smiling up at him as he did. 

“Too bad you can’t wear your sunglasses in there, you’d look a right mess…” Harry laughed softly, shaking his head as he grabbed tightly onto Louis’ hand once more, watching the nurses begin preparing his bed to roll out. 

“In these scrubs, I’d look like an alien, not Willy Wonka!” Louis giggled again, intertwining their fingers quickly as he felt himself being pushed out of the room, Harry quickly following behind. 

“You didn’t tell anyone what was happening, right?” Harry shook his head, staring forward as he walked. 

“Didn’t have time…” His voice sounded a bit uneasy but he quickly flashed him a small smile. “They don’t need to worry anyway, everything’s gonna be fine.” Louis nodded at him, swallowing thickly as he watched the large metal doors approaching. 

Well, let’s hope so, he though feebly to himself. 

Louis had never had surgery before, had never really been an avid visitor of hospitals until he was an adult. He figured that, maybe after a long period of time, they wouldn’t seem as scary anymore, would even seem a bit normal. But at the rate his heart was pounding against his chest he knew for a fact that deep down he was still terrified of them, especially of this shiny, white operating room he was now in that smelled extremely sterile and failed to comfort him in any sort of way. 

He remained silent, his grip tightening on Harry’s hand as they stopped him beneath a series of lights, immediately going to town with various needles and machines. He looked up as Harry was given a chair to sit in, taking a seat right behind Louis’ head, grinning goofily above him. 

“Hi there…” he murmured, reaching out to stoke Louis’ cheek with his freehand. Louis smiled softly, keeping his gaze focused on him as he tried to drown out all the commotion happening around him. 

“Hi Curly…” he mused, reaching up with his own hand to touch the tip of his nose gently. Harry smiled wider, moving his hand to start running his fingers through Louis’ hair, the two of them falling silent in an attempt to relax a bit. 

Louis peered down as a large blue cloth curtain went up right above his chest, separating him and Harry from seeing anything happening at all. He chewed on his bottom lip, slowly bringing his gaze back up. 

“This is really happening, isn’t it?” Harry watched him for a moment before nodding, still stroking his hair gently. 

“Yes, this is really happening…” he murmured, leaning against the top of the bed as the commotion finally began dying down. Louis tilted his head down a bit, listening as the doors opened once more and Maya’s steady, calm voice rang out among them all. 

“Are you ready, Louis?” 

No. He was never going to be ready for this. He was about to be sliced open, with various sharp tools, whilst suffering from high blood pressure and the potential to start having fucking seizures and his son had a weak heartbeat, was probably too small to survive on his own without machines and she was asking if he was ready for all that.   
He caught glance of Harry’s bright green eyes once more, suddenly feeling relax as he smiled fondly down at him. 

Well, then again, if Harry was with him...then maybe he was. 

“Yes ma’am, I am…” His voice was surprisingly calm and strong for how anxiety stricken he was feeling, closing his eyes as he felt Harry’s lips press a gentle kiss on the spot between his eyes. 

“Alright, let’s begin.” The hustle and bustle started back up immediately and Louis opened his eyes once more, glancing up at his husband. 

“Talk to me, please...I need to be distracted…” Harry nodded, beginning to run his thumb up and down Louis’ jawline, his other one running along Louis’ knuckles as he kept their hands intertwined. 

“You know, I’ve just realized you never got to have a proper baby shower.” Louis smirked slightly, making a face. 

“Those are tacky anyway, people can just buy us a bunch of things now.” Harry grinned softly, shrugging in response. 

“Well, I suppose so…” He moved his thumb to trail delicately across Louis’ lips. “I hope Rosie and Eli had enough time with those dolls to learn how to hold a baby…” Louis giggled softly, shaking his head. 

“Rosie’s fine; she cradled that thing like a pro. Eli, on the other hand...well, let’s just not let him hold the baby for a while since he likes throwing things so much.” Harry laughed softly, his dimples appearing in his cheeks and Louis relaxed even more. “At least we’re nearly finished with the nursery.” 

Harry nodded in response. “You’re right, just missing a few essentials...like diapers and stuff like that but...at least it looks nice.” Louis scrunched up his nose, reaching up and touching one of his dimples. 

“All thanks to you and your knack for painting.” Harry scoffed, shaking his head. 

“I can paint in a straight line with rollers, while you somehow manage to make a mess with them every single time!” Louis laughed again, closing his eyes for a moment before opening then back up, his voice going quiet. 

“Remember when I first told you I was pregnant? At the twins’ second birthday?” Harry’s face softened, smiling gently before nodding. 

“I sure do...I was holding the birthday cake and you decided to tell me in the kitchen and I dropped it.” Louis giggled softly, reaching up to run his thumb along his cheek.

“Yeah, probably should’ve waited until you weren’t holding anything...but then you picked me up and twirled me around the kitchen before running outside with me over your shoulder and announcing it to everyone…” Harry hummed quietly, looking a bit zoned out as he reminisced. 

“And both of our mums almost passed out while everyone else was cheering.” He flashed another smile in Louis’ direction, and for a moment everything was okay until Maya suddenly spoke up. 

“He’s here…” she announced, Louis blinking his eyes open in confusion as Harry stared at him fixedly, refusing to look. 

“Why isn’t he crying?” He felt his heart rate suddenly quicken, squeezing tighter onto Harry’s hand as he bit his lip nervously. 

“He’s very tiny, Louis, his lungs aren’t not fully developed yet. We’re going to put a tube down his throat so he can breathe, don’t worry…” Louis swallowed thickly, falling silent before he felt Harry’s lips make contact with his temple. 

“I’m sure he’s beautiful, Louis…” he murmured into his ear. “Elijah is a mini me, let’s hope that this one is a mini you…” Louis sighed, closing his eyes once more, feeling them grow wet with tears. He couldn’t even hear his baby cry, how fucked up was that? He listened to the beeping of his heart machine for a moment, lost in thought before Harry lifted his head up once more. 

“We need a name for him, you know…” God bless Harry Styles, honestly. Somehow, in the midst of this entire mess of a day, he had maintained that calm demeanor that Louis had always admired about him, was here now stroking his hair and trying with all his might to distract him from what was happening all in order to keep him relaxed. 

If that wasn’t true love, he didn’t know what was. 

“I know…” he responded, opening his eyes slowly. “I just think we need to see him first, you know?” Harry nodded slowly, looking a bit uneasy but nevertheless maintained a smile on his face. 

“Absolutely, darling…” He kissed Louis’ forehead once more before falling silent. 

It was an agonizingly long process, although the entire procedure couldn’t have lasted more than half an hour. Harry kept Louis calm the entire time, as per Maya’s very important reminders that any sort of stress could send Louis into shock. They talked for a bit, but mostly Louis kept his eyes closed, enjoying the occasional kiss on his face from Harry’s lips as they finally finished up. 

They both stayed silent and watched as the curtain was pulled down, Louis blinking down at his now flattened abdomen. He couldn’t feel anything yet, as the drugs hadn’t worn off, but he knew the pain was going to be bad soon. He looked up as Maya approached them, pulling off her mask. 

“How is he?” His voice was soft and calm, trying to keep the pure terror out of his voice. Was he breathing now, with the tube? How big was he? Was he even alive at this point? 

Maya gave a weak smile, watching them both. “He’s a little fighter, I’ll give you that. Just under 2 pounds…” Louis tried not to react, blinking back at her as Harry nodded along and spoke up.

“Is he breathing? Well, with the machines and all that?” Maya nodded, leaning against the bed for a moment. 

“He is, but he’s basically living off of it for right now. His lungs are very underdeveloped, and he can’t open his eyes as they aren’t developed as well, so he’s got a small piece of cloth covering them. He looks very weak, but he’s showing promise already, I can assure you that. His heartbeat’s been getting stronger every minute he’s been in the NICU.” Louis merely watched her, images already forming in his mind of what he might possibly find in his son’s bed once he left this room. “Everything went as smooth as it could, and you both are going to be just fine.” 

Harry squeezed his hand tightly, flashing her a small smile. “Thank you so much, really…” Louis wanted to say something, her really did, but all of a sudden he felt as if he was holding in an ocean full of tears, swallowing a lump in his throat and he shut his eyes again, not wanting to stare at the stupid ceiling of this operating room or have to look into the face of his doctor that looked at him with so much sympathy it made him sick. He heard Maya leave beside him, and soon enough felt himself being moved from the room, his bed rolling slowly along the tile floor. 

He felt groggy all of a sudden, his grip on Harry’s hand suddenly weakening as he remained silent, his mind becoming fuzzy. He listened as Harry kept up pace beside him, lifting Louis’ hand up and kissing it gently. 

“You can sleep, darling...it’s the medicine wearing off, get your rest, it was a tough surgery…” Louis mumbled something in response, trying to answer him but only making a soft moaning sound instead. 

“Our son will be here when you wake up, we’ll go see him together then, I promise…” Louis managed a small nod, loosening his grip entirely from Harry’s hand as he finally drifted off, the sounds of the hospital dying all around him. 

Louis had always been an avid dreamer, one that talked a lot in his sleep and rolled around in bed, much to his husband’s dismay. He had woken on many occasions to find himself sprawled across the mattress, the comforter more than likely crumpled up on the floor, along with Harry sometimes. Most of the time, though, Harry decided to stay on the bed, curled up along the edge into a ball, somehow managing to fall back asleep despite Louis’ incessant movement. This sleep, however, was undisturbed, untainted by any dreams or any movement, for that matter. 

Louis felt the drugs wearing off almost as soon as he opened his eyes, moaning softly in protest as he did. He swallowed thickly, trying to dampen his dry mouth before scrunching up his nose, unpleased to find a pair of oxygen tubes tickling his nostrils. He blinked his soft blue eyes slowly, the room coming into a sort of hazy focus. The pain in his abdomen was bad, a sore throbbing covering the lower part of it where he assumed he was stitched up. He sighed, tilting his head slightly to look around, locating a small button beside his right hand that he could only assume was a morphine drip. He pressed his finger delicately on it once, sighing in relief as the pain started to subside, adding a couple extra presses for good measure. 

He fell silent, closing his eyes briefly as the drugs started doing their work, before turning his head the other way, blinking them open slowly to reveal Harry’s head resting on the mattress beside his left hand, sleeping peacefully and quietly. 

He was leaned up against the side of the bed, his arms resting against his thighs and bent forward from his chair, his phone clutched in one hand and the other one hanging limply between his legs. Louis smiled softly, gently pulling his hand up and resting his palm on top of his mass of curls, slowly snaking his fingers through his hair, although all of his motor movements seemed to be slowed down tenfold. 

Harry mumbled something softly, reacting to the touch before yawning, slowly blinking his green eyes open. He caught sight of Louis’ face and immediately sat up, rubbing his face with his massive hands. 

“Louis…” Another yawn escaped his lips, quickly wiping a spot of dried drool off of the corner of his mouth as Louis’ grin widened, moving his hand back to his side. 

“Hello, Curly…” His voice was rough and raspy, cracking a bit and Harry turned around, grabbing a cup of water from the bedside table. 

“Here, Lou…” He thrust the cup up to his lips and Louis smirked at him, taking the water gratefully before licking his lips. 

“I can hold a cup on my own, you know…” he mused, watching Harry shrug a bit before setting it back down. 

“Yeah, I know. But it’s fine, I don’t mind doing it…” Louis smiled softly, wrinkling his nose up once more. 

“Why do I have these stupid things up my nose? I can breathe just fine!” Harry rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. 

“Yes, I know that too. Maya just wanted to make sure you were getting enough oxygen in your blood. Don’t worry, no one thinks you’re weak…” Louis fell silent, pursing his lips as Harry stretched in his chair, rubbing his neck. He eyed him for a moment, looking a bit guilty. “I didn’t mean...I know you’re just asking questions…” 

Louis smiled a bit, shaking his head. “I’m being annoying, I know. I’m sorry, I’ll shut up…” he murmured, inching his hand closer to slide his fingers in between Harry’s own. “Wait, one more question: how long did I sleep for?” 

Harry’s shoulders sunk down a bit in relief, squeezing his hand back affectionately. “Mmm, about 6 hours, I think…” He pulled Louis’ hand up to his lips, kissing his knuckles gently. “Maya said you’re doing just fine…” 

Louis leaned his head back against the pillow, chewing on his bottom lip but staying silent. He wanted to ask about his son, he really did…but at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he could handle any bad news at the moment. Harry seemed to understand, changing the subject after an awkward few seconds. “I called Liam, told him everything...he and Zayn and Niall are staying the night with the kids, so I won’t be going anywhere…” Louis gave a feeble smile, turning to meet his eyes again. 

“Good…” he mused, watching as Harry shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat.

“Also...I called my mum, and told her...her and your mum should be here any minute, actually…” Louis groaned a bit, throwing his head back onto the pillow as Harry fell silent, still rubbing his thumb along Louis’ knuckles. 

“Well, we needed to tell them eventually...I’m sure they weren’t very pleased to hear they had missed another birth of a grandchild…” Harry smirked slightly, nodding in agreement. 

“My mum was practically screaming, and yours was in the car before the phone call even finished.” Louis giggled softly before wincing in pain, scrunching his face up uncomfortably. 

“Ah, don’t make me laugh…” He reached blindly with his other hand, hitting the morphine drip a couple more times before relaxing again, Harry raising an eyebrow. 

“I don’t need a druggie for a husband…” he warned playfully, Louis sticking his tongue out. 

“Hey, I got cut open a few hours ago. I deserve some drugs.” Harry laughed softly, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek as their room door suddenly slammed open, the two of them looking up. 

“Louis!” He heard his mum’s voice and barely had time to see her before she practically ran over to his bed, immediately wrapping her arms around his shoulders and cradling his head to her chest. “Oh, my baby boy! My darling, are you okay? How are you feeling?” Louis blinked rapidly, struggling to shift his head in his mother’s arms to look over at Harry, who was being smothered with kisses by his own mum. They caught each other’s eye, flashing soft grins at one another before Louis raised his arms slowly, hugging her back gently. 

“I’m fine, Mum, promise…” She pulled away slowly, still holding tightly onto his shoulders as she squinted slightly, scanning his face carefully. 

“Are you sure? You seem awfully pale, and warm…” She put a hand to his forehead and Louis snorted, shaking his head. 

“Mum, I just woke up. And sorry for being pale, I DID get cut open a few hours ago.” Johannah rolled her eyes, leaning forward and kissing his forehead gently. 

“Yes, I’m well aware. Care to tell me why I got a phone call from your husband instead of you?” Louis’ eyes darted towards Harry for a moment before looking back at Johannah. 

“I’m sorry, mum...everything happened so fast. I went in for a checkup and an hour later he was born…” She looked at him sadly, pulling him back into a hug and rubbing his back. 

“Oh, darling…” Her voice was soft and somber, kissing the top of his hair as Anne piped up from beside them. 

“So wait...what exactly happened?” Louis looked up as Harry did, both of them exchanging a glance before Harry cleared his throat. 

“I’ll explain…” He launched into full detail, recalling everything that had happened from when they woke up that morning to Louis just waking up a few minutes ago. Anne watched her son silently, her face slowly growing more and more somber as she did. Johannah kept a firm grip around her son, sitting halfway on the bed as Louis rested his head on her chest, listening to Harry talk. 

When he finished, Johannah sighed sadly, resting her cheek on Louis’ head. “Darling, I’m so sorry…” she murmured, rubbing his arm gently. “Have you two seen him yet?” Louis shook his head slowly, still staring at the blanket covering his body in front of him. 

“No, not yet...might have to wait until tomorrow, it’s nearly night time…” Harry was silent at Louis’ side, and he could hear Anne’s soft voice apologizing as well, and suddenly Louis very much needed them to get out of the room, unable to take this feeling any longer. 

He cleared his throat, sitting up straight, trying to think of something to get them out of here when the door opened once more, Maya peering around the corner of it before opening it fully, giving a sheepish smile. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are nearly over…” Johannah huffed in protest, Anne sighing a bit before nodding. 

“Yes, we understand…” She turned towards Harry, brushing the hair from his eyes as Louis watched quietly. “We’ll be back tomorrow, we’re not done talking yet and I’m not done with my hugs and kisses.” Harry’s cheeks flushed a bright red color and Louis bit back a smile, instead turning to focus on his mum. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” he said, reaching over and squeezing his mum’s hand gently, watching her sigh in dismay. 

“Yes you will Louis, and your sisters will be here too! Lottie nearly passed out when she heard what happened,” Louis rolled his eyes, leaning back against the pillows. 

“Lottie’s a bit of a drama queen, we all know this.” Johannah smiled at him, leaning down and pressing a big kiss to his forehead. 

“Just rest up for me, you know I don’t like seeing you this way…” she murmured, Louis’ heart breaking a bit at her sad tone. He nodded, letting go of her hand. 

“I will, mum. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She gave him another smile, this time a bit warmer before standing up. Louis watched as her and Anne switched places momentarily, Anne rubbing his back gently as she hugged Louis. 

“Everything’s going to be okay, don’t you worry…” Louis smiled at how much of Harry she could hear in her voice and nodded, kissing her cheek gently before she let go, the two of them slowly but surely making their way out of the room. 

Maya was busying herself by checking on Louis’ machine, scribbling stuff down onto her clipboard as Louis’ cheeks flushed a bit. “I’m sorry about that, they’re really protective…”   
She grinned and shook her head, folding back down her papers and slipping her pen back into her pocket. 

“No worries, it was cute to watch.” She walked back around to the right side of the bed, looking at both of them carefully. “Now, visiting hours don’t actually end for a few more minutes, but I needed some time to ask you two something…” Louis looked up quickly, tilting his head to the side as Harry straightened up in his chair. 

“Of course, ask away,” he replied quickly, Louis trying to ignore the sinking feeling that was happening in his stomach. 

Maya leaned against the bed, holding her clipboard to her chest. “Your son is in the NICU, obviously, and he’s actually doing quite well. I would let you two go see him, but Louis can’t move because of his stitches and I won’t risk putting him in a wheelchair and tearing them.” Louis remained quiet, trying not to let the hurt show on his face as she continued. 

“But, since I feel like it’s unfair to you...I can pull a few strings and have him brought in here, at least for a night.” Harry was nodding before she could even finish, Louis blinking at her slowly. 

“Yes, yes please...we want to see him…” Louis managed a nod, looking at Harry before back at Maya and she sighed a bit. 

“That’s fine, I can do that. But, I need to warn you two...this isn’t going to be like Elijah and Rosaline were. You can’t hold him at all, and he’s going to be hooked up to a LOT of machinery. I can let you touch him through these little holes in the side, but...that’s about it.” She eyed them both nervously, Louis swallowing thickly. 

Of course he wanted to see his baby, wanted to see how he was doing and examine his tiny little hands and feet, wanted to make sure he was okay. But somehow, he didn’t think it’d make him feel any sort of relief. Probably the opposite, actually. He had formulated an image of the baby that had grown inside of him for so long, but now things had changed and he wasn’t sure what he was going to find inside that tiny bed. He took a shaky breath, feeling it rattle his chest as he did and he felt tears stinging his eyes but then suddenly Harry’s large, warm hand was gripping his once more, careful not to disturb the IV inserted at the top of it. 

“We’d love to see him...please bring him in…” Maya nodded, keeping a lingering eye on Louis for a moment before turning and walking out, leaving the room. 

Louis exhaled slowly, his shoulders slumping forward slightly as Harry turned to look at him. 

“You can do this…” he murmured, reaching up with his free hand to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear. “I know you want to see him, but you’re scared. And so am I, but…” He shrugged slightly, dropping his hand again. “He’s our baby, and we have to start somewhere. He’s got a long road ahead of him...won’t do much good if his own parents are afraid to touch him…” Louis stayed silent, listening along calmly. 

Well, he was right. Things didn’t work out the way they had planned, and now...well, now they just had to learn how to move on. He looked up at him, flashing a weak smile and nodding, resting his forehead against his chest briefly. 

“Thank you, Harry…” He closed his eyes, a tear escaping and rolling down his cheek as Harry wrapped him up gently in his arms, burying his face into his hair. 

“No problem, Lou…” Louis slid his arms delicately around Harry’s waist, falling silent and relaxing on his torso for a moment, enjoying the peaceful silence between them. 

A few minutes later Maya arrived again, carrying two blue medical scrub shirts with her. 

“You’ll need to wear these, just so we make sure there’s no unwanted germs…” Harry slipped his on quickly as Maya helped Louis with his, pulling it up and tying it behind his neck. “Alright, you two...ready to meet your son?” Louis nodded quickly, sucking in a breath as she went back to the door and opened it up. 

A team of nurses carefully pushed in a large wheeled infant bed, when really it looked like a strange incubator thing to Louis instead. There was a wide assortment of things sticking out of it, wires and tubes that were all attached to separate machines, all beeping at different rates and shattering the silence they had just had moments ago. Louis held his breath, watching as it came closer and he swore he felt his heart stopped when he caught sight of a tiny baby’s foot within the plastic covering. 

Harry was motionless, his grip loosening on Louis’ hand as the two of them followed the trail of the bed right in front of them, stopping to place it in between the couple. Louis finally let out his breath, biting his lip as he finally caught sight of his son. 

He had never seen a baby that small before, in his entire life. He could probably fit into both of Louis’ hands, and more than likely just one of Harry’s massive ones. Louis could faintly make out his tiny little fingers and toes, although his face was mostly obscured. He had a small piece of cloth taped over his eyes, protecting him from the harsh light in his bed. A large tube-like thing was attached in front of his mouth, a tiny pair of oxygen tubes taped up his nose to match his father’s. His chest was covered with small, cloth circles attached to wires, decorating his body as they ran down the bed and out of random holes among the plastic above him. Louis barely realized he was crying until he felt tears begin to hit his shirt, reaching up and wiping them away quickly with his sleeve. 

Maya watched them quietly, waiting as the nurses finished setting up before stepping over, pointing to two larger holes on the side. 

“One’s for you, Louis, and the other is for Harry...go ahead and touch him, it’s alright…” Louis blinked rapidly, shaking his head before dropping Harry’s hand and bringing both up to bury his face into them, sniffling loudly. 

“I just...hang on g-give me a...a moment…” He sighed softly, trying not to focus on Harry’s sniffling beside him as he kept silent. 

There was no use crying, and he knew it. He just...he hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected this tiny, miniscule human being with red, blotchy skin and a head sparsely covered in light brown hair with his tiny hand resting on his chest, looking sick and fragile and just...well, bad. He had been expecting something a little better, but...here he was.   
He dropped his hands slowly, looking away from the baby and back towards his husband, immediately regretting it. Harry’s eyes matched his own, red and puffy and full of tears, his cheeks shiny with them. He bit his lip hard before turning back to Maya and taking a deep breath, wiping his hands on his shirt. 

“So I just...reach in? And touch him?” Maya nodded quickly, walking over to him. 

“Just right through there…” She pointed back to the circular hole and Louis followed her directions, sliding his small hand through it. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to do. He scanned his son quietly, examining all his features before he very gently pulled all his fingers but the index one back, slipping it to rest gently on his tiny hand. 

The tears came back once more as he whimpered softly, feeling a gentle but very real grip tighten around his finger momentarily, responding to his touch. 

Maya backed up, ushering the rest of the staff out. “We’re right down the hall if you need anything…” Louis barely heard her, staring down at his son as the door shut behind them. 

Harry was still motionless beside him, his hands resting in his lap. Louis leaned closer, carefully running his fingertip along his arm, the skin smooth and warm beneath it. After a moment he heard him scoot his chair forward, leaning down just as Louis had before snaking his own hand into the other hole, delicately touching his foot. 

Louis smiled faintly as he heard Harry sigh in relief, a deep shaky breath that prompted more tears from the both of them. “Louis, he’s beautiful…” His voice cracked slightly, watery with all his tears and Louis merely nodded in agreement, refusing to break his gaze from his son. 

“He really is…” he mused, sliding his finger back to rest against his palm. 

They stayed like that for a good hour, occasionally mumbling words of praise to their precious baby, before Maya had come in and told them they all needed some sleep, much to Harry and Louis’ reluctance. She promised that he would be able to stay the night, just as long as no issues popped up, and had an entire staff on call to check in on him every 20 minutes. 

She had wheeled the small bed to stop right beside Louis’ own, parallel so that they could sleep beside him all night, and then finally she was gone. Louis was quiet for a moment, listening to her walk down the hall before he gently pushed himself forward a bit, closer towards the edge of the bed. 

“Come lay with me.” He smiled happily, relaxing into the pillows as he felt Harry’s warm body climb in behind him, very carefully snaking his arms around his upper torso so as to not touch his stitches. He rested his head against the pillow, closing his eyes for a moment as he felt Harry’s head come to rest against his neck before sliding his own hands up to grip Harry’s arms, the two of them falling into silence once more. 

For a while, they didn’t say anything; merely watched their son sleep, occasionally glancing up at his heart monitor to find the rhythmic beeping soothing. Louis shifted a bit, feeling Harry move his face against his neck, his breath tickling his ear as he whispered. 

“Louis William Tomlinson, you are the bravest man I have ever known.” Louis felt his neck heat up in embarrassment and wondered if Harry noticed.

“I’m not that brave…” He shrugged a bit, tilting his head up. “I mean...I had to do this. It was to save our son...I wasn’t going to let him die.” Harry hummed in response, propping himself up with his elbow and glancing down at him. 

“You stopped your own panic attacks today. You went into that operating room, held onto my hand, and you saved our son.” Louis blinked at him, slowly turning to lie down on his back, looking straight up at him. 

“I mean...yeah, I guess…” he mumbled, his voice faltering a bit. Harry smiled softly at him. 

“Just take my compliments. I could’ve never gone through what you did today and still maintain that cheeky Tommo smile you have.” Louis couldn’t help but grin at that, giggling softly up at him. 

“Well, you’re probably right about that. I’m hoping this little one inherits that trait from me,” he mused, glancing back over to the bed briefly before he felt Harry’s finger beneath his chin, turning his head back forward and pressing his lips to his. 

Louis’ eyes fluttered shut immediately, kissing him back just as softly, his hands flying up to cup his face gently. Harry hummed happily, deepening the kiss momentarily before pulling away, speaking softly against his lips. 

“I love you so much, Lou…” Louis smiled happily, gently running his thumbs along Harry’s cheekbones. 

“I love you too, Curly.” 

The next day, when Maya brought their son back from his checkup, he had opened his eyes. Louis swore he had never been so happy in his life. 

5 days after that, he held him for the first time. Louis cried for 10 minutes, but when he passed him over to Harry he cried even longer. 

A month after that, he took his first breath. Louis cheered while Harry took an abundance of pictures. 

2 and a half months after his birth, Maya finally gave the okay to take him home. Louis was reluctant at first, but Harry quickly convinced him to. He rode home in the backseat of the car, holding onto his hand the entire time. 

One year later, Louis found himself bent over a high chair with Harry at his side, the two of them happily watching as their son devoured his first birthday cake. Rosaline and Elijah were attached to Johannah’s and Anne’s hips, excitedly clapping along as they watched their baby brother eat. 

Louis reached down and scooped up his son gently, the entirety of his friends and family watching as Harry gently wiped the frosting from his face. 

“Thank you all for coming today...some months ago, Harry and I weren’t even sure if he’d make it to his first birthday, but...here he is.” Louis grinned as Niall started up another round of happy birthday, everyone singing badly off tune and loud. 

He looked down at the baby in his arms, pressing a big kiss to his chubby cheek. 

“Happy birthday, Gabriel Edward…” he murmured, watching as Gabriel blinked up at him with Louis’ own cerulean blue eyes, flashing a huge grin. Harry quickly grabbed him from behind, hugging him close as Louis gasped loudly, playfully smacking his arm. 

“Hey, don’t hit me! I just wanted to kiss my son!” he complained, leaning over Louis to kiss Gabriel as well, “And maybe my gorgeous husband too…” 

Louis giggled loudly, bending back a bit as Harry leaned down and pressed his lips to his, smiling against his mouth as the singing continued all around them. 

And even though it had taken a long time, things were finally normal once more.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading until the end! please leave comments/kudos and as always, my twitter is @fingerkisslou. see you all soon!   
> all the love x


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